Caraka Badiran
Caraka Badiran is a village in Paterosari. It is a mostly residential area, generally divided into three distinct hamlets: Taman Merak, Taman Gagak, and Taman Kuntul. History Name The area was formerly named Vogdijs, a portmanteau of vogel (bird) and paradijs (paradise, as in heaven, or De Haven, also considering the large number of birds in the area, so 'birds' paradise'), though the word bears similarity to the Dutch word voogdij which means 'guardianship'. Ultimately, the De Haven family wanted the place to bear a local name, so caraka (emissary) and badiran (eternal, so 'the eternal emissary') came from the belief that the land used to be a place for conveying messages to the afterlife through birds. Development The hamlet was first developed in 1869, with the construction of The Widow’s Nest in Taman Merak as well as Puri Woetamani in Taman Gagak a few miles away, to house the dowager Sara de Haven along with Kasper de Haven's family, and the botanist couple, Klaas de Haven and Rita Woetamani, respectively. Prior to the development of settlers, Paterosari was a generally unknown area, hidden in a pocket of Ciremai's valley, save for the Cirobi village not too far from Caraka Badiran. In 1870, Pondok Pendeta was built to house Klaas’ eldest brother, the priest Kobus de Haven, near the area that would become the church in 1873. The area was not initially inhabited by local villagers except for a few small houses considering the dense foliage and swampy land, but started to gain more accessibility in the late 1870s to the 1890s with the coming of more settlers. These houses were built with the Indies Empire style in mind, though renovations have been made towards the buildings, which gives the buildings a mix of differing styles. Many natives settled into the area as well, most of whom worked for the colonial settlers. Areas Taman Merak The first area that was developed was the Taman Merak (Pauwpark) area. The Taman Merak area mainly consists of a park and is the oldest neighborhood in the district, with five historical houses situated in Taman Merak. These houses have now been re-purposed, and the neighborhood is now mostly a public space and the streets of this area are paved with cobblestone, which has been recently renovated. The area was named so for its large population of green peafowl. Taman Gagak The second are that was developed was the Taman Gagak (Kraaipark) area, where the original estate of Taman Gagak, the Pondok Pendeta, and the church are situated, as well as the graveyard that partially walls the neighborhood off the other areas. This area is the most sparsely inhabited area, despite having more residents than Taman Merak, this area is mostly covered with woodland as it is the closest to the mountains. The area is named so for its large population of slender-billed crows. Taman Kuntul The third area that was developed was the Taman Kuntul (Reigerpark) area. This neighborhood is considered to be the true old neighborhood, though the houses built here were mostly built in the 1940s and onward, with only a few houses built before 1940. This area has more modern streets and several commercial facilities despite its swampy conditions. The area was named so for its population of little egrets. Category:Places